Applying a Textured Finish to the Drywall Interior Walls

Project: Storm-Ready Design, Episode 7, Part 3

Related

Bob joins Tim McLaughlin from Color Wheel Paints and Coatings as the crew applies the Flex Lox Masonry Coating System to the exterior of the house. Flex Lox protects masonry and stucco finishes from water infiltration through cracks and stands up to South Florida’s damaging sun, heat, wind, and humidity. The crew sprays a finish coat over the primed surface to 10mil thick and wet rolls it to fill in the stucco. The Flex Lox dries to 5mil thick and expands to cover hairline cracks that might lead to water penetration from wind-driven rain. On the inside, Bob watches as Pocelanosa tile is installed in the entry foyer. Fired for maximum durability with an oxidized look, these tiles are contemporary in styling, offset to give a staggered pattern, and framed with small glass tiles in shades of stone and metal. In the bedroom, Doug Frueh of West Coast Drywall sprays the DensArmor fiberglass-faced walls with Magnum, a dry powder mix that is blended with water and sprayed on with an airless sprayer. The compound is quickly troweled before it sets to give a textured look to interior walls. Jim Trottier of RBP Trim installs eight foot pre-hung doors throughout the Punta Gorda home.

Doug Frueh of West Coast Drywall is in the bedroom applying a textured finish to the fiberglass-faced walls. He is using Magnum, a dry mix that is blended with water to the desired consistency, then sprayed on the wall with an airless sprayer. The effect is a splattered, built-up texture that is allowed to sit for a couple of minutes before being knocked down with a plastic wedge trowel that evens out the surface but maintains the texture. This technique is fast and low-moisture, making it a perfect finish for Florida construction. Frueh says he can complete a house in just a couple of hours. Jim Trottier of RBP Trim is installing eight foot, pre-hung hollow-core doors in the Punta Gorda house. These Cremona model doors have a flared top and come with precut headers, legs, and colonial trim. Trottier shows how he pins the door in place, matching the reveal down both sides. He then checks the door for plumb and switches to a heavy duty nail gun before shooting the door in place. Trottier shims the door from the outside, using precut shims under hinges to maintain the door's stability. The Porcelanosa oversized tiles are fully installed in the main living space of the Punta Gorda home. Bob looks at the color and the finish, which are unusual in a Florida home, but very soothing. The metallic-look tiles are darker than the light walls and bright light that flood the space, absorbing the brightness and calming and cooling the space.

When hurricanes strike again and again, as they did in Florida in 2004, the effects are devastating. Bob Vila and crew work to completely rebuild a damaged house, using new standards for storm-ready housing. Along the way, Bob investigates a home's vulnerabilities in extreme weather and learns why some building systems fail and others succeed.